Guardian Unlimited Books | Review | Leonardo's helper
Mary Hoffman asks who is expected to read Theresa Breslin's The Medici Seal:
This is a very substantial read, full of detail from the complicated history of the period, which the author has taken pains to incorporate into the equally complex adventure story of Matteo and his friends. But it's hard to see how it will find its audience. The language is uncompromising - I even had to look up a word, "schiltron" not being part of my vocabulary. And the plot, with rapes, murders, battles and gougings, puts it firmly at the top end of the young market. Yet, even though this is clearly not a jolly romp for juniors, there is no hint of the real-life relationships with apprentices and other young men that Leonardo is known to have had. So who exactly is it for?
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